Crashing down
by NewHabitat
Summary: How come Eric became so cruel and heartless? Why does he think he is doing the right thing by helping Jeanine Matthews hunt down Divergents? Find out what happened a year before Tris' initiation
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone :) I hope you'll enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Except for my OC, everything belongs to Veronica Roth_

Initiation was starting today. A group of ten transfers was facing two dauntless leaders. Both were only seventeen but looked much older than the transfers who were only a year younger. The first one took a step ahead, his feet hitting hard on the ground in a military way, and held his hands behind his back. His light hair was cut short and almost shaved on both sides of his head. The arch of his right eyebrow was pierced with two black piercings and he wore black gauges on both his ears, along with geometrical tattoos on the sides of his neck. This style was not rare in dauntless but combined with his muscular figure and his angular features, he looked definitely intimidating.  
"For those who don't know, my name is Eric, and this is Four" he said in a toneless and rough voice that matched his menacing appearance. "We are here to test you during the different stages of the initiation process that everyone goes through to become a full member of dauntless. You will be ranked on this board depending on your achievements and anyone getting their name in the red will make their way out of here." A look of worry transformed the transfers' face.

"What do you mean? What happens then?" A boy from Abnegation named Eli asked.

"It means you'll become factionless" Eric answered without blinking, causing some initiates to gasp in worry. "If anyone fears that they won't make it through initiation, feel free to leave now and save us some time." No one moved as most of the initiates tried convince themselves they made the right decision by choosing dauntless. "As you noticed, you're all transfers, meaning you'll be trained apart from the dauntless-born initiates. But you will share the ranking so I suggest you work hard if you want us to choose you."

Eric took a step back this time to let Four speak and crossed his arms on his chest, his muscles becoming even more prominent.

"Every day, training will start at eight in the morning till six in the evening, with a break for lunch. This morning we'll start with a tour of the compound, then you'll get dressed properly, have lunch and meet us at 2 pm right here". His tone was more pleasant than Eric's, as well as his expression which looked a lot less obnoxious. "Please line up so we can register your names into this software. You can choose a new name if you wish." Despite his warmer aura, Four inspired as much respect. His figure was more slender than Eric's but every one of his moves seemed well-thought-out, meaning he was probably great at fighting. The initiates obeyed him instantly, queuing up to form a line and chatting to decide whether or not they would change their name. After a few minutes, Eric's composed expression switched to confusion for half a second as he met the eyes of one the transfers. Her petite and curvy figure was different from what he remembered, but she still wore her long wavy dark hair, tied in a braid that looked a bit messy from jumping on trains or down roofs. Seeing her brown eyes shaped like almonds brought back a collection of memories to Eric. He felt strange seeing her standing there, in the same room as him, after all this time. She had changed a lot but he could never forget those features. She looked away as if she had not noticed Eric and went to register. Without saying anything, she typed her name with trembling hands and walked aside. June, that was the name she chose.

When everyone was finished, Four and Eric led the group to their dormitory, composed of two rows of five beds, a few pieces of furniture and a collective bathroom.

"Don't search for another bathroom. You will share one between male and female so get over it." Eric explained, smirking.

He ordered them to change into their new clothes then to throw their old ones into the fire. Before he and Four left the group for lunch, Eric glanced discreetly at June who was taking off her shirt and trying to hide her body as much as she could, obviously uncomfortable.

Eric sat down at his usual table, along with other dauntless men. He was the youngest at this table but looked a lot more experienced in life than the others. The room was huge and very loud, as everyone talked while eating. The initiates noticed that the meals were full of proteins and starch in order to provide all the energy that a dauntless needs. From where he sat, Eric scrutinized the room silently to find June but there was no trace of her in the cafeteria.

At 1:45 pm, both leaders were already back in the training area. None of them spoke as they set up the training material, creating an awkward silence. After all, they had nothing to say to each other and even if Four made the effort, Eric was not willing to do the same at all. He hated him and his perfection. He hated the fact that he didn't prove to himself he could be the best once in his life, because Four came first after their own initiation. He hated how charismatic Four was, how people obeyed him without questioning his authority. He was clearly jealous but also had no problem admitting it.

The initiates arrived on time and stood in silence, waiting for instructions. This time, Four spoke first.

"This afternoon begins the first part of the program. It focuses on your physical strength even though your mental remains important. You will be practicing your fighting and shooting skills. Firstly you will get into those individual booths and put on those glasses that will create a numerical enemy against whom you must fight. An inter-active software will help you enhance your technique and at the end of the day, you will be fighting against another initiate. Your ranking will change tonight depending on whether you won or lost your fight. At the end of the initiation, the ranking will help determine which job will fit you here in dauntless, if you make it to the end."

The individual booths had been placed during lunch time in the practice area. The see-through door allowed the leaders to watch the initiates practice as they were facing a green wall. The booths were secured with fingerprint technology and only the leaders could open them. Four did so, while Eric handed out the glasses and set up the software. He was not surprised to see June standing at the very end of the line, as if she wanted to push away her encounter with him. When her turn came, he grabbed the last pair of glasses and attempted to set them on her nose himself, but she stepped back violently and he felt her cold hands snatching the glasses away from him.

"I can do that myself." She affirmed, frowning.

"Sure you can". He repeated, with a grating voice.

He then led her to the booth, noticing her annoyance through her look.

After the training, all the initiates were ordered to sit down by the ring to watch each other fight. Four called randomly for an initiate named Mary and Eric had to do the same.

"I call for June." The brown-haired girl looked already exhausted from the earlier practice. She climbed on the ring with difficulty and breathed hard while closing her eyes. She met Eric's stare and looked disgusted by him.

-  
_Please let me know how you found the first part of my story! Most of the rest is already written but I'll consider your suggestions ;) And sorry about any grammar/spelling mistakes, English isn't my first language ^^_


	2. Chapter 2

_"__I call for June." The brown-haired girl looked already exhausted from the earlier practice. She climbed on the ring with difficulty and breathed hard while closing her eyes. She met Eric's stare and looked disgusted by him. _

As the fight went on, much to Eric's surprise, June made a few good moves. He didn't remember her as such perseverant fighter. But that still wasn't enough compared to Mary, who seemed to have had fights since she was little. Almost ten long minutes later, June was lying down and holding her stomach while her eyebrow was bleeding profusely.

"Come on, get up now!" Eric shouted, not wanting to see June fail. "I'm sure you've witnessed worse than a stupid girls fight!" That was a phrase only she and he could understand. June looked up at Eric, half determined to get up, half disgusted by the fact that he had motivated her to do so. But Mary took advantage of the situation and kicked June in the stomach a few more times. A last punch in the face, and Mary won the fight. That hurt, but that was fair. The other initiatives understood that it was a real competition. None of them applauded Mary though, probably in respect to June. The agonizing girl could not make a move and when she started coughing blood, Eric felt thrills go down his spine. The last thing he was known for was showing concern except that he couldn't help it. But it was Four who intervened first. He took the girl in his arms and carried her to the hospital aisle. Meanwhile, Eric composed himself quickly in order not to draw attention and prepared the next fight.

All the initiates had been dismissed, most of them were glad to get some rest because of their injuries due to the fights. Four and Eric each made their own ranking of the initiates so that an average would be calculated. That was their last duty as trainers for the day. When they were finished, Four said goodbye to Eric, who obviously did not respond. Being civil to Four was too hard for Eric, since he got that second place after their initiation.

It was 6:30pm so Eric made his way to the pit to meet some friends. But as he crossed the different corridors, he passed by the one leading to the hospital aisle. Was it curiosity or concern that made him change his path? Either way, it was totally uncommon of him to check on someone after they had been injured. After all, everybody gets their ass kicked at some point.

He stood in the doorway without moving. Fortunately, no one was around to see him. June was asleep, certainly because of the drugs they gave her. He stepped into the room and grabbed her folder, hanging at the bottom of her bed. He did not understand all of the medical terms but from what he read, her stomach was not in good shape. He supposed that caused the bloody coughing. He stared at her bruised face one last time and was surprised to feel his heart skip a beat as he realized the bad state she was in. He then walked out of the room, not noticing that she had slightly opened her eyes.

At dinner, Four came to Eric's table.

"We need to talk about June's situation." Four said.

"What is there to talk about?" Eric feigned ignorance, chewing on a piece of beef.

"I've talked to the nurse who tells me that she needs three days of recovery. That is the fastest they can heal her, with the new drugs they administrated to her."

"So what?"  
"Well, it's up to us to decide whether we eliminate her today, or if we delay the initiation."

Eric stopped eating. He hadn't even thought about eliminating her on her first day, as he would have with anyone else. If he decided to eliminate her now, she would become factionless.

"What do you think?" He asked Four, secretly hoping for a positive answer.

"I think we should give her a second chance. We don't know yet what she can do with more training."

Eric nodded in approbation, holding in a sigh of relief and Four left the room.

Three day went by, giving the initiates time to accommodate to their new environment as the initiation was delayed. It also gave time to Eric to realize that June was unwillingly messing up his emotional balance. Not wanting to feed his urge to see her, he decided not to go visit her again at the hospital wing. After all, she was just a girl he used to know. If he had to get tough on her to show himself she was nothing more, then he would.

When June entered the training area, everybody was already here.

"Don't you think we've already waited for you enough?" Eric asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, but it's not 8 yet."

"Those days in the hospital didn't make you lose your attitude." The tension was rising in the room. "You should be grateful that we're giving you a second chance not to become factionless. Besides, you should try to earn my respect as I am ranking you" He threatened as he knew she wouldn't have the guts to reply to that.

"Alright, today is the second day of initiation." Four went on, trying to ease the atmosphere despite the killing looks Eric and June were throwing at each other. "I'll go over the program then we can start. Today you will practice your shooting skills and your endurance. You are going to train outside through an obstacles race and shoot on targets. The first seven people to finish the race will be considered as winners and ranked depending on their place in the race. The last ones will be considered as losers. For each shoot you'll have to complete, you will have two bullets. If you fail, you must start the race from the beginning."

After the explanations, the group walked outside, led by Eric. The race was divided in three parts, with two shooting stages. The whole installation looked impressively huge.

"The fastest anyone has ever completed this race was 43 minutes and 20 seconds. This is nothing compared to what you may have to go through in reality." Eric warned. "Anyone who gives up will be eliminated". He looked straight in June's eyes, but did not see any fear as he expected.

Everyone got mentally prepared and went to the entrance of the race. The first obstacle was a ten meters high rope wall that led to a horizontal ladder where the initiates must hang and go forward using their arms.

When the signal was launched, everyone started climbing the rope wall as fast as possible. And as the minutes passed, one little figure started making its way faster than the other ones. Eric could not believe it, June was the fastest. She had a great balance and her moves were quick and precise. With a bit more training, she could become a real competitor in this activity. Four looked at Eric with the same astonished look, not expecting such a performance from a girl who had just spent three days in the hospital. A boy from abnegation named Evan was second in the race but his tall figure didn't let him catch up on June. Minutes after minutes, despite her increasing tiredness, she managed to remain first and outdistance her adversaries. Surprisingly, she did not miss any of her two targets and Eric wondered how she became so good with a gun. The last initiate was clearly not feeling at ease with this kind of training. Her name was Ashley and she came from Erudite. She wasn't slow but she missed her target every single time and kept on restarting the race from the beginning. After fifty minutes and thirty-two seconds, June crossed the ending line of the race, heavily panting. As Four announced her time, a small hint of pride showed on her face. Eric couldn't help feeling quite proud as well. He walked up to her as she sat against a tree and crouched down to face her.

"Where did you learn to shoot so accurately?" He asked her curiously.

"That's none of your business." She replied right away. "Leave me alone, I'm pretty sure you know how to do that." She spat at him with so much hate, it gave him chills.

He was rarely lost for words but at that moment, the only thing he could do was to obey and walk away.

_Thanks to those who read my first chapter! I hope you will enjoy the rest ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the physical training went on for a week. Surprisingly, June had been quite good at various activities. Her weak spots were those implying real strength, but she was fast in her moves and privileged strategy over punching without thinking. Eric had not repeated his attempt to start a conversation with her, as it was obvious she didn't want anything to do with him. He hadn't been aggressive towards her as well, not wanting to aggravate their situation. He simply ignored her, despite his urge to make up their lost time.

The group of initiates met with the group of dauntless-born initiates in a spacious training room. Their trainers gathered in front of them and Eric spoke.

"Tonight is the first cut of the lowest ranked initiates. Four of you didn't meet our expectations and will leave us. The next cut will take place after the last stage of initiation."

Four then unveiled the final ranking board. There were about thirty initiates in the room and four of them had their name in red. There was Eli, Sam, Ashley and Danielle. Except for Sam and Danielle, the rest of them were transfers. Their group was now down to eight. Despite the relief that most initiates felt, there was a hushed silence, in respect of the four former members. Then some made the first move and hugged to say goodbye. The trainers left without a word, except for Four who was in charge of accompanying the four now factionless young people.

After dinner, the tension was gone and those who stayed in the program decided to celebrate at the pit where the party was always going on. June started getting dressed to party. She didn't really get to know Eli, Sam and Ashley but was still feeling bitter, thinking they were now factionless. She tried not to think about it as she picked out her clothes: a black laced tank top with a see-through back and a pair of black shorts. She put on make-up for the occasion and tied her hair into a high ponytail. She was pretty content with the way she looked especially since she had been shaping up her body thanks to the daily physical training. She grabbed a black cardigan in case it would get cold and left the dorm to join her four friends in the pit. Over the few days spent together, they had developed links. Ally was a medium size girl who came from abnegation but was very strong, which helped her get a high ranking. Drew was from Erudite and his abilities in physics made him a great competitor in shooting guns and throwing knives. Delilah had chosen dauntless over candor because she was probably the most fearless girl of her faction, allowing her to become the best ranked of their group of initiates. She had been the first jumper at the beginning of the initiation. Tyler came from candor as well and therefore knew Delilah from the beginning. He was very athletic and hardy. All four of them were astonished to see June so feminine and sexy.

"June you look so amazing!" Shouted Ally over the music. "I Love your makeup, it really brings out your eyes! I almost didn't recognize you."

"Yeah me neither!" Drew said.

"Thanks! Now who wants to come with me and dance?" June suggested.

They all followed her and danced and drank until they couldn't figure out who they were anymore. It felt good to finally forget about the initiation and the pressure on their shoulders. After three hours of dancing, June went to sit alone by the bar to rest for a bit, leaving her friends somewhere on the dance floor. The bartender put down a pina colada in front of her.

"It's from the guy there, I think he'd like to sit by you." He explained, pointing at a malicious looking young man.

"Oh okay, why not." She was already drunk and didn't think that another cocktail would make things worse. She started sipping the drink as the man sat beside her. He had dark eyes and black hair that were brought out by the paleness of his face. He was both attractive and creepy.

"Hello Beautiful." That was his pick-up line. "I'm James. How do you like the cocktail?"

"It tastes sweeeet." She admitted with a silly smile.

"Great! I heard that you made it to emotional training. Congratulations!"

"Thank you thank you!" She repeated without really knowing why.

"Hey would you like to dance?"

"Of course! I love dancing!"

She tried to stand up but almost fell and was caught by James. She laughed in a silly way before following James on the dance floor, holding his hand tight in order not to fall. But as the music went on, James was becoming more and more insisting which made her uncomfortable. She didn't like that he was sliding his right hand lower and lower on her back while approaching his left hand closer to her breast. She couldn't think straight but she knew something was wrong. She tried to step back but he caught her wrists and pulled her to an empty and hidden corner of the room, where he blocked her between him and the wall, trying to kiss her full on the mouth. She struggled to get out but everything was so fuzzy and her body didn't want to respond to her brain. The music was too loud, nobody could hear her cry for help. She tried to punch James but it was as though her strength had faded away. The tears came out, as James was definitely much stronger then her drunk-self. He touched her inappropriately, which felt horrible to her and when she thought she had no chance of getting out of his trap, James let go. The tears and the alcohol were blocking her sight but she was pretty sure that someone was hitting James. She heard a loud shout of pain and another punch and tried to get away from this awful place but couldn't move. She didn't have even any strength to get up so she leaned closer to the wall and curled into a ball, waiting for the alcohol to disappear from her organism.

_Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated my story for a while, I had personnal issues... I hope you still enjoy it though :)_


	4. Chapter 4

June opened her eyes, not remembering anything from the night before. She had a headache and as she looked around the bedroom, she didn't recognize anything at all. That was definitely not her bed, it didn't even smell like her bed. Some masculine fragrance was in the air making her worry even more. She checked under the covers and sighed when she saw she was still wearing her own clothes. She sat up on the bed, relieved to see she was alone in it and tried to remember something. Looking around she saw something that did not please her at all. Or rather, she saw someone. Eric was on the ground, sleeping. It was definitely the first time that she saw him so peaceful, but after what happened between them, she couldn't bring herself to feel good as she saw him. She tried to leave the bed without a sound in order not to wake him up and not to confront him. But the stupid bed creaked as she moved and he opened his eyes immediately. They stared awkwardly at each other for a minute, until June broke the silence.

"What am I doing here?"

"No need to snap… And first, good morning." He said, smirking.

"Shut up Eric! Don't play that game with me, where you act like everything's normal. What the fuck am I doing here?!"

His expression changed from amusement to annoyance. His ice-cold look pierced through her, making her shiver. If this was her way to thank him for saving her from getting raped, then they were having a problem.

"No you don't play that game with me, Julianna." His voice was low and raspy and she winced as she heard her name out of his mouth. "You act like this independent sassy girl but you can't even protect yourself. Last night you drank so much you couldn't stand up on your own and that guy took advantage of you. But I noticed and I knocked him down. Now you wanna know why you're here? Well, because you're a pathetic little pussy." He got up and looked down at her without blinking. His words felt like a stab in her heart and at that moment, the word that she thought was best to describe him was cruel. She realized how much he had changed. He was different from the boy she had known. He was now a grown man, who weighed at least twice as much as her, and according to the size of his arms, he could break her neck just by snapping his fingers. But she didn't care and slapped him.

"Don't ever say that again! You don't know anything about me anymore!" Her eyes were beginning to water but she composed herself.

"If you hate me so much, then why did you choose to come to dauntless?"

"That was my test result… And this way, I thought I could start my life over… But apparently not, since you're here." She spat at him.

"You didn't know I had chosen dauntless?"

"Of course not! How could I? I haven't heard from you in five years Eric! If I had known you were here, I would have never come…"

Eric felt bitter hearing these words. "You resent me so much?"

"You hurt me more than you can imagine back then." Eric fell silent, guilt taking over him. "And now that it's confession time, I think you should drop the tough-guy act. Being cruel to people won't lead you in a good place." She picked up her purse from the ground and walked to the door. "Thank you for helping me last night. I hope this won't influence my ranking." She closed the door behind her and walked away.

Eric sat down on his bed, trying to collect his thoughts. Some part of him wanted her to forgive him, but this shell of his that he had created during the past five years was getting in the way. He wished he hadn't developed a temper over the years. He wished June could give him a chance to apologize for what he did to her, because it seemed to have crushed her a lot. She thought he had changed but she had changed as well. She was tougher but also colder. Looking away, he saw June's cardigan over his chair. He folded it neatly, thinking that giving it back to her would be a good occasion to have a chat.

But two days later, the cardigan was still in Eric's room. He didn't dare take the risk to have another negative encounter with her, as her words still stung. She did not knock on his door either to pick it up. But today was the first day of emotional training and they would have to confront. Especially since Eric was the one running the fear simulations. He grabbed the cardigan, determined to give it back to June while in the test room, then walked out. The piece of clothes was soft and as he set on his shoulders to free his hands, he could smell June's perfume. A sweet and flowery scent. That's when he realized how much he had missed her. Lost in thoughts, he almost tripped on a rock, which was unusual for him. The three young men walking behind him in the corridor started giggling but instantly stopped when they realized they were making fun of Eric. After all, if he had been chose as a leader, it meant that he could break them all apart if he wanted to, even though they outnumbered him. He threw his signature death stare at them, which they surely would never forget and walked away.

He arrived first in the test-room. The initiates were to be there ten minutes later so he started preparing the serum. He felt relieved that he would not be the one sitting on that chair. He had no problem with facing his fears, but during his own initiation, he hated the fact that someone else could discover what was hidden in the deepest recesses of his mind.

The initiates entered the room, one after the other and left it more or less disturbed. Eric didn't feel sympathy towards the initiates as everyone in dauntless had had to go through this. But when it was June's turn, it was another story.

She was the very last initiate to enter the room and when she did, Eric couldn't take his eyes off her. Since the party, he had begun to see her with different eyes. He had always thought she was a pretty girl. But she had now turned into a beautiful woman. The image of her fit body and her lovely face was replacing his memory of her eleven-year-old self little by little.

"Enjoying the view?"

He instantly stopped staring and frowned. If she was choosing to be unpleasant, he could do that as well : "Sit down and don't move." He stuck electrodes on her forehead, and connected the whole thing so that he saw what June saw. He purposely omitted to tell her what was going on despite her interrogative eyes. Quickly, he grabbed one of the syringe, moved her hair out and planted it in her neck. She winced at his tactless move, throwing him a death glance. After a moment, June's eyes closed, the screen showing her first fear.

It was a classic fear of snakes, where she was surrounded by them in a sort of narrow pit without any sign of way out. He saw how tense her body had become, probably not realizing it was not real. Some of the snakes were approaching her dangerously and she instinctively closed her eyes, trying not to panic. When she opened them back, she was liberated from the snakes and standing on a small deserted island with no land to see around. At first she looked a bit taken aback by the change of setting until she realized the level of the water was rising, covering up more land every minute. Her breathing started intensifying, and Eric remembered that June did not know how to swim back when they were friends. Maybe it was still the case. She looked away from the rising water in order to focus on finding some sort of solution to escape, causing her heartbeat to decrease and her last fear to play on. When the new image showed, June looked in such pain that Eric's heart stopped for a second. Her eleven-year-old self was standing alone, in a huge field of grass which the leader was very familiar with. A dull grey building was visible in the periphery. And June was looking straight ahead, overcome with a feeling of abandonment. She was staring at someone walking away from her. The person was already so far that even if she screamed, they wouldn't hear her. She tried to run after them, as fast as she could, knowing it was already a lost case. And indeed, she hit a magnetic field so hard it startled her. That damn bracelet locked around her wrist was preventing her from escaping the place. A tear made its way on her cheek, and another, until she curled up in a ball, crying. The only thing she wanted was that figure to turn around and protect her forever.

_I've noticed that a couple more people started following my story and it makes me feel a lot more motivated to write the rest :) I don't know yet when the next update will be so please be patient and let me know any suggestion or critic you have!_


	5. Chapter 5

_When the new image showed, June looked in such pain that Eric's heart stopped for a second. Her eleven-year-old self was standing alone, in a huge field of grass which the leader was very familiar with. A dull grey building was visible in the periphery. And June was looking straight ahead, overcome with a feeling of abandonment. She was staring at someone walking away from her. The person was already so far that even if she screamed, they wouldn't hear her. She tried to run after them, as fast as she could, knowing it was already a lost case. And indeed, she hit a magnetic field so hard it startled her. That damn bracelet locked around her wrist was preventing her from escaping the place. A tear made its way on her cheek, and another, until she curled up in a ball, crying. The only thing she wanted was that figure to turn around and protect her forever._

Eric pulled out the electrodes off her forehead, waiting for her to come back to reality. He leaned on the wall, thinking about what he had seen. Usually, we fear that something can happen to us in the future. One of June's fear was abandonment, but it had happened in the past. What he saw was a memory. After a minute, June opened her teary eyes looking lost. When she realized Eric was in the room and that he had seen everything she had virtually been through, she looked at him miserably.

"It was me, right? In your last fear…" Eric asked with a low voice.

"Who else?" She snapped, her eyes tearing even more. "No one else left me like you did." Her words were so full of resentment.

"You know I had to do it…" Eric answered shamefully.

"You had the choice! But you left me, and broke your promise. You left me with those people, because you chose your own freedom!"

"June… I admit it was a selfish choice, but what would you have done if you were me? I had an opportunity to escape from them and you know what they made me go through. You can't blame me for wanting to leave."

"Of course I can. You were my only friend. I still remember your promise, when you said you would protect me forever. But apparently that meant nothing to you, and you left so suddenly! We could have figured something out together, but you only thought of saving yourself."

Eric didn't say anything… After all she was right, he had abandoned her. "I'm sorry Julianna. I chose myself over you, but at this time freedom seemed so appealing. I didn't have time to think it through completely. When I found the key to my bracelet, it was only a matter of hours until they noticed."

She couldn't say she didn't understand him at all. But she still resented him so much.

"What they did to you… They did it to me as well. After you left, they needed a new guinea pig for their experiments. "

Eric opened his mouth, but no word could come out. He stared at her, feeling so guilty it hurt. Then he did the only thing he thought of to try to improve the situation and took her hand, which looked so tiny compared to his.

"I am so sorry…" He repeated, unusually sounding like he was about to cry. "If I had known that they would use you as well, I would have stayed to protect you."

She pulled out her hand. "It's so easy to say now that you've been free for five years."

"Please believe me when I say that I've missed you so much. All those years, part of me regretted my choice. I regret it even more now. So many times I thought about going back to save you. But I was too scared of this place and I never did."

"You? Scared? You're the scary one around here!" She shouted angrily. "No one even dares to come talk to you unless they must. I don't even recognize the Eric I used to know."

"I know I've changed. I had to take care of myself after I left and didn't always end up in the right places… You can't expect me to remain the same. And besides I'm a dauntless leader now."

"You always act so tough and emotionless then you ask me to accept your apologies for what you did. But I doubt you're honest. You don't show compassion anymore."

"Why can't you give me a second chance?"

"A small part of me wants to forgive you, but you left me when I needed you. That changed my life forever, leaving scars and traumas, as you surely know."

"Oh my god, Julianna you can't blame _me_ for what happened at the center! Don't act like I initiated it or something! I was a fucking victim just like you were!" Eric almost threw a punch in the wall but stopped just an inch away, trying to control himself. "Can't you see the efforts I'm making? I really wish we could be friends again, now that all this is over, but you won't forgive me. I've put my pride aside, what else do I have to do?" Eric desperately asked.

"I'm sorry Eric, I don't think that is ever going to happen… I can't forgive the old you and I can't put up with the new you. It may not completely your fault, but sometimes you don't even realize how cruel you are to people."

"If you're talking about the initiation, I have to show you all that in dauntless we take training seriously."

"I know you're a leader and you need to show authority. But take Four for instance, he does it well without making people feel bad. What I'm talking about is your way to put down people whenever they show an ounce of weakness, like when you humiliated me at the beginning of the initiation."

"What are you talking about?"

"You knew I was weaker than Mary but you still called out my name during the first fights. And guess what? She pierced my stomach!"

"I wanted to see how you fought, I didn't really think about your opponent…"

"Wow, so that's your excuse? You 'didn't really think'? Gosh Eric, you really need to figure yourself out, because I can't. You're just so illogical. That day on that ring, I was literally dying and if it wasn't for Four, I don't know what would have happened. But you didn't make a move at all. And then, you come visit me at the hospital like nothing's wrong!" Eric made a face as he realized she had noticed his visit. "Or two days ago when you punched James and let me sleep at your place. That was nice, thank you, except for the part where you call me a pussy. I don't understand you anymore Eric, one day you're nice and the other day you become so despicable." With that, she walked out, once again without her cardigan.

Eric had hoped for a positive encounter with June, but in vain. He felt so guilty for the pain he had caused to her by leaving, five years ago. If he had stayed, he would have protected her. He would have stood up for her, against those heartless people, even if it meant getting hurt even more. But at least, one of them would have been saved. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how selfish his decision had been. But at that time, after all they made him go through combined with his young age, the idea of freedom seemed so inspiring. Was he really responsible for all this? He wished not, but deep down he knew June had a point. And at the moment, nothing made him angrier.

He stormed out of the room, in need of letting it all out. He walked through the corridors and threw some "get out of my way" at whoever was possibly going to slow down his pace. Once he got into the training room, it was empty. That wasn't surprising, as it was dinner time. He moved towards a punching bag and started hitting as hard as he could, almost tearing it apart each time his knuckles would touch it. He pictured it as the people who caused him and June pain during their childhood. Without them, everything would have been so much easier. He threw punches until he couldn't feel his hands anymore. Exhaustion didn't make him stop either. The only thing he needed at the moment was to transfer all his anger through his moves. It was almost like a trance… The physical pain was terrible, his knuckles were bleeding from scraping them against the rough material. But it was nothing compared to what he felt deep down. After about an hour of intense individual fight, he threw a powerful last punch in the bag, before letting himself fall down hard on the cold concrete. He breathed heavily, closing his eyes for peace. He didn't hear the footsteps approaching and reacted only when he heard his name. He snapped his eyes open, but was disappointed by what he saw ; Four was standing above him, half surprised, half concerned to see him lying down this way.

"What the hell are you doing?" Four asked.

"That's none of your business, go away." Eric closed his eyes again, trying to make Four understand he wanted nothing to do with him.

"You look terrible, you should get checked upon at the hospital."

"I don't need your concern, now go the fuck away or I will punch your perfect little face."

"We both know I'm the best at fighting so don't bother threatening me Eric."

But before Four could say anything else, Eric slammed his leg against Four's, making him fall on his back, his head hitting the ground roughly. Eric threw a punch at his face, wincing at the pain he inflicted to his own hand again. Four did not respond and pinched his now bleeding nose to stop the hemorrhage.

"What was that for?" Four asked incredulously. "You need to work on your temper!"

"And you need to work on your arrogance." Eric replied.

"I'm the arrogant one? Gosh, you're so messed up."

But Eric couldn't take any more reproach at that moment, and he tried to hit Four again. Only this time, the latter's reflexes were fast enough to avoid the punch and throw two powerful ones right at Eric's cheekbone and stomach. This, combined with the exhaustion and the pain, prevented him from trying to hit Four again. He just wished to go home and sleep forever. From the corner of his eye, he saw Four get up, still holding his nose tight with blood all over his t-shirt. He left the room without a glance back at Eric.

A few minutes passed until he gathered the strength to stand up and head back to his room. He wished hard that he would not cross anyone else's path, but dinner had just finished and people were milling everywhere. He attempted to walk normally so people wouldn't stare at him, wondering what had happened, which didn't work very well as he couldn't hide his bruised face. He made his way to his apartment with difficulty, practically wincing at every step. He didn't even bother to take his bovver boots off and crashed on his bed.

-

_Sorry again for my super late update. I hope you'll forgive me :) I saw a few people adding my story to their alerts and it felt so good to know that some of you like it. Please review if you can, that would mean the world !_


	6. Chapter 6

A loud knock on his door woke him up. Seeing from the amount of light that dazzled him, it was already late in the morning. The knock repeated, before a male voice spoke through the door.

"Eric? It's ten in the morning, you're two hours late!" He recognized Four's voice. "You need to replace me for the next session of fear-simulation. I want you in the test room in fifteen minutes."

Oh how he liked to receive orders from Four right after waking up. He sat up with difficulty: his entire body feeling sore. He kicked out his shoes and undressed before getting in the shower. The dried blood of his knuckles faded away, revealing the bare scratches. He noticed the hematoma Four's punch had left on the side of his torso, right on top of his old scars that he was progressively hiding under tattoos. Once out of the shower, he headed to his small mirror for his usual hair styling routine. That's when he realized how bruised his cheekbone was. Fortunately, there was no swelling, which had surely disappeared during the night. He picked out a tight black t-shirt and a pair of black pants, brushed his teeth and left his room after throwing on his leather jacket. On his way to the test room, his stomach growled, reminding him he had not eaten since his last lunch. He made a detour by the cafeteria to get a green apple. They were his favorite. He ate it on the way, ignoring the looks of the people wondering what had happened to his face.

The four trainees left were sitting on the benches on both sides of the corridor leading to the test room. Without a glance towards them, he called for the next on the list. June stood up, immediately noticing that something was wrong with Eric's face and walk. She closed the door behind her and asked:

"What happened to you?" Her tone was gentler than usual, which surprised him a bit.

"This?" He asked, pointing at his bruise. "It's nothing." But June's insisting look told him it wasn't a receivable explanation. "Just fell down the stairs when I didn't pay attention."

She seemed disappointed by his answer. "You really need to work on your lying skills." She suggested, motioning towards his scratched knuckles. But Eric ignored her, so she took a seat and pulled her hair off her neck silently. Eric injected the serum through her skin in a gentler way than the day before. This time, June was staggering on a sand dune, the sun burning her unprepared skin, seemingly seeking for a source of water. She felt too hot to think straight and every new step was harder than the last. Her thirst was so unbearable that she couldn't feel her whole body anymore. She collapsed on the ground, letting the sand and the sun consume her. When she opened her eyes again, her thirst was gone but she had to deal with a new problem. She was standing on a rope in the middle of a canyon. Only one wrong move and she would fall down hundreds of meters until her body would hit some rock and break into pieces. The perspective of having to cross the canyon by walking on a rope was enough to make her heartbeat increase quickly. But it also helped her realize she had already made it halfway. The thought allowed her to calm down enough for the screen to show her last fear. It was also different from the day before. No abandonment scene played in June's head. This time, her sixteen year-old self was sitting in a cold metal chair, her wrists and ankles strapped to it. A tall man with dark hair entered the room, making her heart beat so hard she could hear clearly hear it. She didn't need to look at his name tag to remember that he was named Wesley.

"So, Julianna, we haven't seen you in a while." He declared with a malicious voice. "I always knew you'd choose dauntless. You and your little friend were always so rebellious. Anyway, it's good that we found you again as we need you to complete more pain simulations in order to study your post-traumatic behavior. Don't look at me like that, you've done it so many times now, it's for the sake of science!"

She started hyperventilating and tried to free herself but she couldn't. Once again she was trapped in this horrible spotless white room with no way to escape. She started crying and screaming as loud as she could but she knew deep down that no one could rescue her. Suddenly everything went black and silent.

She opened her eyes slowly, panting like she had been running a marathon. She checked the room to make sure Wesley was gone, only to find Eric sitting close to her, looking at her with a compassionate expression. She felt mix of relief, nervousness, fear and tiredness, and couldn't help but dissolve into tears. Then she did something Eric didn't expect at all and hugged him. She looked so fragile at this moment, all he wanted was to comfort her, so he hugged her back. After a minute, her heartbeat started slowing down and she moved away from him. She looked completely devastated and lost.

"I don't think I can do this… This fear simulation thing is just too hard on me."

"You can't give up now! You've already made it so far, how can you think of quitting?" Suddenly, all signs of animosity between the two of them faded as they both faced a common demon during June's fear.

"If I became factionless, I wouldn't represent anything anymore to Wesley. He threatened to find me again if I decided to leave Erudite on my choosing day."

"June, the dauntless compound was built like a fortress. Wesley won't reach you here. And if he ever shows up around you, I swear I'll break his neck once and for all."

"Please don't break your promise this time…"

"I won't. I lost you once already and I'm not doing that same mistake again. I hope that one day you'll forgive me for leaving you."

Her brown eyes met his ice-grey ones. "I hope so too."

_Thank you for reading ;) That chapter was a bit short but the next will be longer. Please review, I'd appreciate it very much! And again, sorry for any spelling or grammar mistake that I may have made_


	7. Chapter 7

"We asked you to meet us here tonight because we are moving to another area for a "capture the flag" session." Four explained to the initiates.

"Why didn't we do it during the physical training?" Mary asked.

"Because we had to delay the initiation and therefore this session didn't fit into the new program." Four answered. "We will divide you into two teams, one with me and one with Eric. The outcome of the game will impact your final ranking, but it won't influence your current ranking as it based on your emotional abilities. Now please line up and grab one gun each." He ordered to the group who moved immediately. Eric handed offhand a weapon to each of the initiate.

"Are they loaded with real bullets?" A boy named Kevin inquired to Eric, a bit worried.

"Not the kind you think. But I suggest you don't get shot at." That was not the answer Kevin expected.

"Now that everyone is armed, we can head on to catch the train." Four explained, leading the group outside of the building.

It was already dark outside, and we could hear the buzzing sound of the approaching train coming from the tunnel. As it came closer, the earth shook a bit more each second. The initiates were physically and mentally preparing to jump on the moving train. When it appeared, Four jumped in first to help out the initiates who were not totally used to the stunt yet. There wasn't much time for all of them to get on the train, so they had to be fast. Each trainee tried to get on the train as fast as possible but when the last one jumped, it was almost too late for Eric to bring up the rear. June watched Eric race by the moving train with worried eyes, hoping he would make it before the train would penetrate the next tunnel. But Eric was a dauntless leader, and managed to gather enough strength to leap in less than a second. He caught the rim of the train door and pulled his body into the wagon, but as he did so, his shoulder rubbed against the rough tunnel-wall, tearing up his sleeve and scratching his skin. Once his two feet were in the wagon, he let out a pained sigh as he saw his wounds and turned his head towards the initiates who were all watching him with incredulous eyes.

"Next time you should consider getting faster if you want us all to stay in one piece." He advised, looking disappointed at them. They nodded in acknowledgement.

He then made his way towards the front of the wagon and sat on the floor while everyone started to chat about the next activity or about Eric's performance. Four began to make his way towards him but June got ahead of him and hurried towards Eric. She crouched down in front of him, attracting his attention. He looked at her with an inquisitive gaze.

"Are you okay?" She asked him right away.

"Yes I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"You're bleeding. Hold on, I'll get you something to clean it off." With this, she left the wagon to get wet paper towels from the train bathroom and came back quickly. She handed them directly to Eric for him to clean his shoulder himself, not really comfortable with the idea of getting physically close with the leader ranking her and the other initiates when they were around.

"Thank you." He simply said, grabbing the towels. As expected, he didn't even wince as he rubbed them against his damaged skin.

"How is your cheekbone?" She inquired, glancing at his other wound.

"It doesn't hurt."

"Nor do your knuckles?"

He nodded in agreement. It wasn't completely true, he was a bit bothered by those wounds but he didn't want her to worry over practically nothing.

"Take care of yourself okay? I wouldn't want you to fall down the stairs again." She suggested gently before walking away.

He understood the hint, meaning she still didn't buy his crappy excuse. He smiled to himself; he knew June and he were on the right path to reconciliation and that made him feel happy. He had rarely had the chance to feel happy and didn't put on a smile, in order not to draw attention but for the first time in a very long time, he felt at peace.

After a thirty-minute-long journey, everyone gathered around the train door and followed Four as he jumped out onto the roof of a building. As always, Eric was making sure they weren't leaving anyone behind before jumping with such ease that it looked made their way through the dark city of Chicago until they reached the battle field.

"The battle field area goes from here to there." Four explains while pointing at the locations. "Eric and I both are in possession of this phosphorescent flag which each team needs to protect. It cannot be covered or hidden obviously but it's up to each team to find the best location to protect it. Now we'll make up the teams." He motioned at Eric for him to start picking his members.

"Since it's ladies first, I pick June." No one in the group found this decision suspicious as she was pretty well ranked. She moved behind Eric, discreetly smiling at him.

"Delilah." Four called out, as everyone expected, considering she had the best ranking.

They went on until the teams were formed. June, Drew, Ally and Evan were in Eric's team whereas Delilah, Tyler, Mary and Kevin belonged to Four's team. They split to go as far as possible from the other team and try to discuss a strategy.

Eric's team stopped behind some kind of rusty container which had probably been there for decades.

"Alright, first we need to find a place to set the flag. I suggest that two of you protect it while the rest of us goes to find the other team's. Ally you're the best at fighting and Drew, you shoot very accurately so I believe you should protect the flag."

The two of them nodded and Eric took a sort of iron tube out of his pocket in order to hand it to Drew.

"Find an original spot and once you're ready, press this red button to have the flag come out of the tube. Soon you will hear a gunshot which officially announces the start of the game. After that you'll have ten minutes to find a spot and open up the flag. June and Evan, you both showed great skills during the obstacles race and the shooting so we will be the ones trying to capture the other team's flag. Ours is blue and theirs is if you get shot, the pain will only last a couple minutes so get back on your feet as soon as you can. Are we all clear?"

All the initiates nodded in approbation, surprised at the basic but rare compliments that Eric gave to them. When the gunshot was heard, Drew and Ally raced together a nearing hill at the edge of the battle area, probably in order to limit their range of protection and not have anyone surprising them from behind. Evan decided to climb up a tree in order to have a better view of the place, and noticed a red spot on an old food stand, where a regular white neon should have been. From the tree, he shouted to Eric and June the spotted location and let them go in order not to make them wait while he climbed down.

Eric ran faster than June, despite her talent for races, but his legs were longer and his muscles more powerful, especially since he had been in dauntless for over a year. He went off to reconnoiter and motioned to her not to make any noise but he noticed some movements. They were already quite close to the food stand and got ready for a couple initiates to ambush them but nothing happened. They waited one more minute and just as they were about to move, Mary came out of nowhere and shot at Eric. Thanks to his reflexes, he had time to move away, the bullet passing three inches away from his already wounded shoulder. He started to run away, in order to be out of reach, hoping June was following him. But she wasn't and the dark didn't help him to find her. He could see the back of someone running and recognized Four. He was making discreetly his way towards a feminine figure, then he stopped and aimed her gun at her. Eric understood that it was June and ran as fast as possible to get closer and shoot Four in the thigh. Fortunately, he had been fast enough and even though Four had had time to shoot, his aim had been deflected when he lost his balance as the bullet met his leg. June had frozen in her tracks and when she recognized Eric's silhouette, she pointed her thumb up as a thank you. She then motioned towards her right and as he followed her gaze, he realized that she was showing the foot stand. He nodded and they both ran closer to it. They hid behind another rusty container placed right in front of the food stand. Opposite from them, they noticed a slender figure hurrying towards it. Once the neon light hit his face, they saw it was Evan who met their eyes as well. He hid behind some high water tanks that no one knew why it was placed here. From where the three of them stood, they could see each other while no one else did. Evan gestured that two initiates were at his right, probably to protect the flag and motioned them that he would create a diversion while they grabbed the flag. The duo nodded and Eric quickly explained to June that he would have her back while she would climb up the food stand to get the flag. Evan shot at one of his opponents to draw attention and June raced towards the stand, climbing fast over it to reach the flag. Eric noticed Four hurrying towards them, probably alerted by the sound of the gunshots. But right when Four shot Eric's chest, June shouted: "I got it!" over Eric's cry of pain.

They were all back on the train to get home. Eric had worn a content grin for the past half an hour, enjoying his victory over Four's team. That was obviously something he loved, when he was better than Four. The atmosphere between the initiates was heavier than during the outward journey, but it would be back to normal by the morning.

_Hi guys, I'm almost done writing the whole story but I'm still open for suggestions. Let me know if you have any or if you'd like me to know what you think about the story :)_


	8. Chapter 8

A few more days passed until it was the end of the emotional training. Eric and June were starting to feel more comfortable around each other. June was not pushing him away anymore so Eric hadn't been aggressive in lunch or dinner, they would even meet each other's eyes and discreetly smile. They actually needed each other more than they imagined. Eric had also helped June to calm down when facing her fears during simulation. The result was quite encouraging compared to other initiates such as Mary who had probably spent the most stressing week of her life. But it was a mandatory stage in order to prepare for the next step, which was mental training.

June and her group of friends decided to go to the pit, using the end of the second stage of initiation as an excuse to party again.

"We should all get a tattoo! We've already made it through most of the initiation, we need a reward!" Ally proposed.

"That's a great idea, I'm so in!" Delilah agreed

Drew and Tyler nodded with a grin, already wondering what they would get. Only June was a bit unsure about marking her skin forever. But her friends insisted and made it sound fun so she accepted. They all got ready, the boys putting on nicer clothes than the ones they had for training and the girls picking out their favorite outfit. June put on a long black sleeveless see through shirt, her dark bra showing through in a suggestive way. She grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans and asked Delilah to do her makeup while Ally tied her long hair into a fish braid. One finished, the three of them looked stunning and the boys were quite proud to escort them to the pit. Most men passing by them as they walked did a double take, until they reached the tattoo initiate chose a design that was presented on the design wall, except for June who had another idea of what she asked the tattoo artist to engrave a quote on her wrist in a small typing font, making it look like a fine bracelet. After about half an hour, she could read on her wrist in tiny letters: _"__Forgiveness_does not _change_ the past, but it does _enlarge_ the _future__"__. _

_The group of friends left the shop after an hour, excited to go party with their fresh and new tattoos. They felt like they belonged a bit more to the dauntless community. This time June was careful not to drink too much and only consumed a cocktail and a shot of tequila before going dancing with her friends, moving in rhythm with the loud banging music. As always, it felt so nice to forget about the ranking and the pressure they were under each day. Besides, she quite enjoyed the longing looks she was getting as she was not accustomed to draw was surprised when Eric__'__s impressive figure entered the room and even more when he spotted her on the dance floor and detailed her face with keen felt her cheeks blush but it went unnoticed thanks to the darkness of the room. She realized she had lost her group of friends somewhere in the crowd so she decided to join Eric. She made her way out of the dance floor with difficulty and when she approached him, he noticed how much effort she had put into her appearance._

_"__You look very fancy.__" __He complimented her while motioning her to take seat at the bar._

_"__Thank you. I__'__m starting to think you__'__re following me, because every time I come here to party I meet you.__"_

_He grinned before saying : __"__Just so you know, whenever you have free time, I have free time too and the pit is where everyone spends their free time. Besides, I got in dauntless first.__"_

_"__Touch__é__e.__" __She admitted with a small laugh. _

_Eric ordered two martinis before they went on chatting. _

_"__Is it really okay if we hang out? I mean, you__'__re a leader and I__'__m just an initiate.__" __June worried._

_"__There__'__s no rule about that so I guess it__'__s allowed.__"_

_"__But I__'__m afraid the others will think I got a preferential treatment for my ranking.__"_

_"__Don__'__t worry about that. The next stage of initiation is ranked by a jury as well as Four and me. It will be objective.__"_

_"__If you say so... By the way, thank you for having my back last night, during the game.__"_

_"__No problem. You should work on your senses though. It__'__s very important to remain careful about your environment. Four almost shot you because you didn__'__t pay enough attention.__"_

_"__I will, thanks for the advice.__"_

_"__And also, I think you should consider learning how to swim. We never know what situations we can encounter out there so you need to be prepared.__"_

_"__I knew you would tell me that someday.__" __She frowned at the idea of getting into the water._

_"__I could teach you if you want. There are training pools in the compound, I could book one for an hour every day.__"_

_She looked at him with displeased eyes. __"__You already booked it, didn__'__t you?!__" __She punched his shoulder in a friendly way. __"__I don__'__t really have a choice, right?__"_

_He nodded with a satisfied smirk and June rolled up her eyes. __"__You can meet me tomorrow after dinner and I__'__ll show you the way.__"_

_"__You__'__re so evil Eric!__"_

_"__I know but you__'__ll thank me for this one day.__" __He winked at her, making her blush again. Or maybe it was the martini. _

_"__I should get back to my friends now, I__'__ll see you tomorrow. Thank you for the drink.__" __She wanted to spend more time with him, but despite his reassuring words, she didn__'__t feel totally comfortable hanging out with him in front of the other initiates. He waved at her as she made her way back to the dance floor, scanning it to find her friends._

___

_Hi guys, A __**BIG THANK YOU**__ to those who have favorited my story, it means a lot ! I hope you have a good time reading each time I post a new chapter :)_


	9. Chapter 9

_The next day, June was a bit nervous. She wasn__'__t really looking forward to the end of the dinner, as it would mean joining Eric for her first swimming lesson. She never had the chance to learn as a kid and therefore grew up to be afraid of water. She really hoped he would make her feel more comfortable. Besides, she was a dauntless now and had faced her fears more than once in dinner, Eric had sent her reassuring looks as he noticed her nervous face. When everyone was done eating, she reluctantly stood up from her chair, picked up her backpack which contained everything she needed to swim and left the cafeteria, meeting Eric in an empty adjacent corridor._

_"__So, how are you feeling?__" __He asked her enthusiastically._

_"__Not so good.__"_

_"__It__'__s going to be alright, don__'__t worry. I__'__ll be with you the whole time.__"_

_"__Well I hope so!__" __She uttered with humor. __"__Why do you not carry your stuffs?__" __She asked, noticing he didn__'__t have any bag._

_"__I leave my stuff in a locker at the pool. I train there almost every day. Swimming is great to keep in shape.__"_

_"__I understand now why you__'__re so__…" __She looked for her words, making Eric raise his neat eyebrow. __"__Firm.__" __She finally said innocently, causing Eric to laugh out loud. _

_"__It__'__s the first time I hear someone call me firm.__"_

_He continued to laugh, making June smile at her own choice of word. After a few minutes, they arrived at their destination. Eric gallantly opened the door for June and registered their names into a tablet. Then they walked towards the clean and spacious changing rooms, where the heat was overwhelming._

_"__You can change into your swimsuit in here. This box is where you put your clothes and shoes which will be locked once you get out. It will unlock with your fingerprint. I__'__ll meet you on the other side okay?__"_

_She nodded in agreement, staring at the room. It was the very first time she entered a swimming pool. She closed the door of her changing room and noticed the large box where she left her clothes in. She put on the swimsuit she had just got in the morning. With the advice of the sale assistant, she had chosen a black one-piece swimsuit which didn__'__t entirely cover her back and her sides. She grabbed her towel and covered her shoulders with it, not very used to showing so many parts of her body at once. She then left the changing room to walk through a cleansing corridor where an invisible gas prevented germs from developing in the pool._

_She stepped on the wet tiled floor, looking for Eric in the huge empty room. She spotted him by the entrance of the pool and walked towards him, careful not to slip and fall. He turned around as he heard her steps and offered her a comforting smile. It was the first time she saw so much of his skin. She could distinguish every muscle in his body, which was both impressive and intimidating. Every one of his muscular limbs inspired strength and sturdiness. His shoulder had also healed after the episode of the train._

_"__You got a tattoo?__" __He asked her, pointing at her wrist, making her stop her contemplation of his figure. _

_"__Yes, I got it yesterday.__" __She hoped he wouldn__'__t notice it was a quote, as it directly implied him. She wanted to wait until she would show it to him officially._

_"__It__'__s nice, I like it. I remember my first was this one.__" __He motioned towards his forearm where a large design was spread across it. __"__But anyway, it__'__s not the point. Tonight we__'__ll start softly. You__'__ll join me into the water at first, then I__'__ll let you go in by yourself.__"_

_June nodded, obviously nervous and took off her towel from her shoulders, revealing her body. Eric had the decency not to study her, which made her more comfortable. He sat on the edge of the pool, and invited June to do the same. Then he let himself go into the water and offered his hand to June to encourage her to get in as well. She did so with prudence, holding his hand tight, finally relieved when her feet touched the ground._

_"__See, it isn__'__t so bad after all.__" __Eric pointed out. _

_"__Yeah, I thought it would be worse.__"_

_"__Great so now let__'__s try that again by yourself.__"_

_Eric leaned on the edge and pushed himself out the water using his mere strength. Then he helped June out and pulled her with one arm. She gave him in incredulous look and he winked at her in response. _

_"__I__'__ll stay right here in case you need me. Now try to enter the pool again without my help.__"_

_She sat again on the edge of the pool, trying to block the rising stress by closing her eyes. Then she let herself go slowly and opened her eyes once she was in. She looked around, surprised to see what she had accomplished and searched for Eric before offering him a wide smile. He smiled in response and joined her in the pool. _

_"__Now I__'__ll move there, where your feet won__'__t touch the ground. You can cling to the edge and use your arms to move forward. The point of this is to have you get used to the feeling of not touching the ground anymore.__"_

_She approved and let him swim with ease about ten meters away from her. At first she walked but the ground was inclined and the water was covering more and more her body. Eric saw her worried eyes. _

_"__June, just grab the edge and come to me. You__'__ll be fine, I__'__m sure.__"_

_She followed his advice and moved towards him using her arms. __"__I can feel my legs dangling in the water, it__'__s so weird!__"_

_"__See, you__'__re doing great!__"_

_When she arrived at his level, she was still leaning on the edge to prevent herself from drowning. Eric approached her and rested his arms by hers. _

_"__Your arms are so big compared to mine.__" __June pointed out, amused. And indeed, they were at least three or four times bigger than hers. He smiled at her random comment._

_"__I__'__m glad you don__'__t look too traumatized by the water.__"_

_"__Yeah me too.__"_

_"__Now we__'__re going to make things serious okay? You will let go of the edge and try to keep your head out of the water. Remember to move your arms up and down as if you pushed the water away. You can also use your legs of course and remember that you can control the water and not the opposite. I__'__ll stay by your side in case you need me.__"_

_"__Okay, I__'__ll try.__" __Her unsure eyes gave away her worry, but she took off her left arm from the edge as a start. Slowly she moved away from the edge of the pool until her right arm was not long enough. She attempted to remember Eric__'__s advice but it was harder that it seemed. She could feel her body penetrate the water further and further despite her will. _

_"__Push the water!__" __Eric encouraged her. __"__Control it!__" __He struggled not to listen to his heart and to hurry to help her but he knew she needed not to rely on him too much. _

_"__I__'__m trying!__" __Suddenly panic took over her and she couldn__'__t focus on her moves anymore. She felt as if an invisible hand was pulling her towards the bottom of the pool. She debated against the water, craving for air, unable to cry for help. So many thoughts were mixing in her brain that she couldn__'__t even figure out where she was anymore. Some liquid entered her trachea right when she felt two hands catch her and pull her up towards the surface. She started coughing loudly, gasping for air while her trachea was trying to eject the water. Finally, the person set her on the hard floor and tilted her body to the side securely. She kept on coughing for another minute, unable to catch her breath before that. When the coughing finally stopped, she was breathing as heavily as if she had run a marathon. When she finally came back to her senses, she heard a voice telling her to calm down. She managed to open her eyes but her vision was blurry because of the water as well as the tears of panic. She then tried to reach for the person and they caught her searching hand, holding it tight to show her she wasn__'__t alone. Finally, she recognized Eric__'__s grey irises and remembered the situation._

_"__Are you feeling better?__" __He asked with deep concern. __"__I__'__m sorry, I thought if I left you alone a bit longer, then you__'__d eventually make it.__"_

_"__It__'__s okay.__" __She whispered, her voice not coming out as loud as she expected. Her eyes closed again, as exhaustion replaced the panic. __"__I feel so tired.__" __The words came out with difficulty._

_"__I__'__ll take you where you can rest.__" __Eric placed both his hands under her body and lifted her effortlessly. He set her down on one of the soft benches and placed her towel on top of her to prevent her from getting cold. He sat by her, waiting for her to feel better. As the brunette felt him sit, she drew her body closer to him and rested her head on his thigh for comfort. Eric was both surprised and pleased at her initiative and he decided to follow his heart as well by stroking her hair. _

_Fifteen minutes later, June__'__s eyes finally opened again. She met Eric__'__s gaze and smiled at him gratefully._

_"__Thank you for staying with me.__"_

_"__It was a pleasure.__" __He winked at her to complete the pick up line._

_She slowly sat down to face him, careful not to lose her balance as her senses were still a bit off._

_"__Thank you for making all these efforts for me. Being nice, helping me and giving me advice. I want you to know that it is not in vain and that I really acknowledge everything you do for me. I decided to forgive you__… __Not only because you just saved me from drowning in this stupid pool but because you showed me I could trust you again, and you__'__re not as cold-hearted as you like to act.__"_

_"__I__… __I don__'__t know what to say__… __Thank you for giving me a second chance.__" __He offered her his most grateful expression. _

_"__I also want to apologize for being so self-centered lately. I__'__ve been blaming you for what happened to the both of us but I was wrong. You were as much of a victim as I was and I think I__'__m beginning to understand your decision a bit more.__"_

_He simply pressed his hand on hers as a response._

_"__There is something else I want to show you.__" __She lifted her free wrist and approached it to Eric__'__s eyes until he could read the quote tattooed on it. _

_"__Forgiveness_does not _change_ the past, but it does _enlarge_ the _future.__" __He read out loud, slowly understanding that she had marked her skin forever with a quote concerning him. He gazed at her incredulously._

_"__Don__'__t look at me like that. You__'__re my only real friend and I think destiny brought us back together here in dauntless. I__'__ve been thinking about it a lot, and I realized that you will always be an important part of my life so you clearly deserved a place on my skin.__"_

_"__Does that mean I need to have your name tattooed on my forehead?__" __He joked, earning himself a slight punch on the shoulder. __"__Thank you for rethinking your opinion about me. I know I can be a total ass sometimes, but I guess spending five years in more or less serious foster homes as well as another as a leader of dauntless kind of toughened me up.__"_

_"__Admit it, you like that little power of yours.__" __She teased him, making him chuckle._

_"__You__'__re right, you__'__re right. But I worked my ass off to earn this little power as you say so I believe I have the right to enjoy it.__"_

_"__You do, you deserve it.__" __She admitted._

_"__Hey, I__'__m sorry to spoil the mood but it__'__s time for us to head out.__" __He got up and stretched out his hand for her so she could easily get up as well. __"__I don__'__t want to push you or anything but I think it__'__d be a great exercise for you if we tried this tomorrow again. The mental initiation is all about controlling your mind to face your fear landscape and trying for real not to drown will surely help you go through it.__"_

_"__As long as you stay with me__..."_

_This is a long chapter for you guys, I hope you liked it. I watched Insurgent this week at the theater and I thought it was pretty cool, what did you think ?_


	10. Chapter 10

_A week passed during which the initiates worked on their fear landscapes and faced their fears for real. Eric__'__s precious help with her swimming had indeed allowed her to overcome her panic and focus on a way to master her fears. She had done fine on the mental training and hoped it would be enough to beat the other ones, but they were serious competition._

_All the initiates were standing in the training room for the last time, along with their trainers. Everyone remained silent until the ranking board showed the names in red. June sighed in relief as she found her name in the middle of the list. She met Eric__'__s stare and whispered a discreet __"__thank you__"__. Then she turned her eyes back on the board, praying for her friends__' __names not to be marked in red but she could read __"__Ally__" __in a bloody color. Her heart skipped a beat, realizing that her friend was now factionless. Mary and Kevin were also in the red, along with several other dauntless born initiates. Five of the transfers had made it through, which was honorable according to the trainers. But Ally didn__'__t, and it devastated June. She went to give her a hug, even though it wouldn__'__t fix anything. From what she heard, she hadn__'__t been able to face her fears as good as the rest of the initiates. And that was enough to ruin her life forever. At this moment, June hated this dauntless rule so much, she could have hit somebody to death out of anger. _

_That night, June was silent during her swimming lesson. Sadness and anger overlooked her relief to be now a full member of dauntless. Eric didn__'__t try to make her say a word as he understood she could be upset. Despite her sorrow, she managed to remain focused and execute the moves she was asked well. Both of them could notice June__'__s progress during each swimming session, which was very encouraging. Her body looked a lot less tense in the water and her moves were even graceful. The next step was to learn to swim with her head underwater but for now, they were focusing on the moves of backstroke. Eric didn__'__t intend to teach her the specific technique, but only a few moves so she could feel familiar with swimming on her back. He approached her, after asking her to float on her back without drowning. It wasn__'__t such an easy exercise and he could see she struggled a bit. He approached her and set his hand under her back for support. Feeling her bare skin against his made his heartbeat increase for no rational reason. But he was starting to get used to feeling irrational around her. _

_"__Contract your stomach and push your back up whenever you feel yourself drowning okay?__"_

_"__Easy to say!__" __Some water entered her eyes as she spoke, making her lose her balance. If it hadn__'__t been for Eric, she would have fallen in the water completely. He pressed his free hand on her stomach and pushed her back upwards to help her stand. Once on her feet, she removed water from her eyes, droplets tickling her as they fell from her braided hair. _

_"__Are you okay?__" __Eric asked worryingly. _

_She met his eyes and remained silent for a second. Then a smile stretched her lips and she started laughing. __"__That was ridiculous!__"_

_Eric chuckled as well, enjoying the sound of her laugh. __"__I__'__m glad to finally see you smile.__"_

_His words made her think again about Ally. __"__It__'__s because__… __I never really expected any of my friends to get cut and become factionless.__"_

_"__I know it__'__s hard, but some of you had to leave. I__'__m proud that you made it through though.__"_

_"__Thank you. I appreciate your compliment. Especially coming from you.__" __She teased him. _

_"__You__'__re probably the only one who gets compliments from me, so you better enjoy it.__"_

_"__I do!__" __She said, throwing some water at him playfully. He feigned to be offended and splashed some water in return as well. The rest of the swimming lesson ended in a water fight between the two, who both enjoyed such a carefree moment._

_It had been a month since June was an official member of Dauntless. Thanks to Eric, she had made real progresses in swimming. In fact, they would meet every day at the pool rather out of habit. June could swim pretty well without Eric now, but they valued their daily meeting. It was their excuse to spend time together. _

_As June swam towards the immerged ladder, Eric held out his hand to help her get out of the pool. She took it and he lifted her out without effort. Even though it wasn__'__t the first time she would witness a display of his strength, she was still impressed. Despite her daily physical training, she kept feeling like a tiny ant next to him. He put her down carefully and smiled._

_"__So June, today is a special day isn__'__t it? You thought I had forgotten didn__'__t you?__" __He asked maliciously. _

_"__Why? What__'__s today?__"_

_He stared at her for a second, wondering if she was making fun of him. __"__Today is September 3__rd__! June it__'__s your birthday!__" __She looked at him incredulously and let out a chuckle. __"__Well, I was hoping to surprise you with something other than letting you know it__'__s your own birthday.__"__  
She started laughing even more. __"__It__'__s crazy, time has passed by so fast! I can__'__t believe I__'__ve been here almost four months already!__"_

_"__Yes time does go by fast. And I__'__m glad to have you back.__"_

_June offered Eric a kind smile. __"__Me too__…"_

_An idea seemed to pop up in Eric__'__s mind. __"__What about we celebrate your birthday together tonight?__"_

_"__Okay, I__'__ve got nothing planned yet.__"_

_"__Perfect, then meet me at the exit doors when you__'__re ready.__"_

_June nodded and walked away to get changed. _

_A slight breeze was brushing against her face as she was sitting on the roof of a middle sized building. Her arms were circled over her knees, whereas Eric was resting next to her on his elbows. He couldn__'__t move his stare away from her delicate face, it was like an addiction. He was watching her stare at the huge city displaying in front of her like it was the most precious moment of his life. _

_"__Thank you Eric, for showing me this place.__" __She said softly, her eyes shining with amazement. _

_"__You__'__re welcome. Happy Seventeenth Birthday by the way!__"_

_"__Thanks.__" __She met his eyes for a few long seconds, then looked back at the immense city in front of her. __"__So__… __What did you do after you left the center?__" __His leaving her was a hot topic for both of them, but it was the first time she didn__'__t sound resentful as she spoke about it. Just curious._

_"__I ran as fast as I could without looking back. Until my legs wouldn__'__t carry me any further. I had to hide in a forest because I was afraid that they would find me. After a few days I decided it was safe to move on and I ran away again, hoping to find a more comfortable place to stay. Lucky for me I managed to arrive at the amity fields. There, an old woman took care of me without asking any questions. I felt so relieved because I didn__'__t want to attract attention. She gave me food and clothes and let me sleep at her place until the next morning. At dawn, she showed me how to hide in a food supply truck that would get into the city. That__'__s how I got back to my former orphanage. The same lady, Mrs Smith was still working there and recognized me. Of course, she asked a lot of questions but somehow I felt like telling the truth would have been a bad idea. So I pretended I had run away and lived with the factionless for a while. Mrs Smith believed me __–__or rather she acted like it- and never asked any more questions. She registered me back to school and I went to multiple foster homes until choosing day finally came.__"_

_June took a few seconds to process Eric__'__s story. __"__Why did you not say the truth though?__"_

_Eric sat up quickly. __"__You mean that I got kidnapped, brought out of the city, turned into a guinea pig for scientific experiments and kept trapped inside a center with a magnetic field preventing me from escaping? June, no one would have believed me. Everyone in this city is completely oblivious to what happened to us. I mean, there are thousands of people living here and no one had ever tried to know why we suddenly disappeared. Being orphans was just as helpful as being factionless. No one cared about us when we got kidnapped.__"_

_June winced at the truthfulness of Eric__'__s words. __"__Can I ask you another question?__" __Eric nodded in apprehension. __"__I don__'__t want to make you feel guilty, because I have forgiven you and that won__'__t change. I just wanted to know why you never tried to come back and save me?__"_

_Eric was taken aback by her question and thought about his answer for a little bit. __"__I was simply terrified. I thought about it many times, but every day as I walked to school I was afraid that Wesley and his team would be waiting for me on the corner of the street. I was scared even when I was in the city, that__'__s why I never had the guts to deliberately go back to that place. Besides, the fence is heavily guarded and I would never have been able to get out of the city.__" __He looked into her beautiful brown eyes that were lost in thoughts and took her hands in his. __"__I know you say you__'__ve forgiven me, but I want to apologize again for being so selfish back then. I won__'__t try to justify myself again, what__'__s done is done now and I can__'__t take it back. But I want you to know that, now that I have you back, you can always count on me for anything. I promise I will do my best to protect you and I won__'__t break that promise because I can__'__t lose you again.__"_

_A tear rolled down June__'__s face which Eric wiped away with his thumb. He rested his hand on her soft cheek, unable to confront the idea of letting go of her. So he did the opposite, and leaned towards her small figure until his lips met hers. Their kiss was slow and soft and felt like a relief to both of them, which was a surprise. Not wanting to pressure her, Eric moved away but she laced her arms around his neck and leaned towards his ear to whisper: __"__Please don__'__t leave.__"_

_So he kissed her again, less timidly this time. He had unconsciously waited so long for this moment, that he could barely pass on all his feelings to June in one kiss. He circled her with his powerful arms, bringing her body closer to his. __"__I won__'__t ever leave you again.__"_

_I appreciate the visits to this story, though I hardly get any feedback -none actually. I'm guessing you like the story, but if you have any comment about it please let me know. Have a good day !_


	11. Chapter 11

"ERIC! Bring me back my towel right now or I will shave your head in your sleep!" June shouted from the bathroom. It was the first night of June officially moving into Eric's apartment. They had been together for a month but she had spent pretty much every night at his place, so they figured it would be easier if they made it official.

"What do I get in return?" Eric asked mischievously, his own towel wrapped around his waist.

"You get the right to shower with me again tomorrow. Now stop enjoying the view and give me back that towel before I freeze to death!"

He rushed towards June and quickly wrapped the towel around her before literally sweeping her off her feet.

"How do you even do that?" She wondered, wrapping her hands against his neck.

"Do what?"

"Carry me like I don't weigh more than a feather!"

"It's because you don't weigh more than a feather…" He replied with a flirty look.

"Okay, you know how to talk to girls." With that, she pecked him on the cheek as he set her down on their bed. He leaned on top of her, resting his elbows on both sides of her head. She stared into Eric's eyes, tracing invisible lines on his back while a few drops of water from their previous shower still falling down his torso.

"You know you have beautiful eyes?" She complimented him, earning a surprised but pleased look from him. "To be honest, I noticed them even back when we were kids."

"Well, thank you very much. Any other compliment you've been holding back for the past eight years?" He teased her, so she pulled out her tongue at him. "For my part, I think you're beautiful in general."

That was a genuine compliment, and June kissed him tenderly as a thank you.

"I have something I've been wanting to tell you… You make me happy June, you make me feel like I am a better person now and you know that considering my history, it's hard for me to admit it but… I love you. I've never been good at showing and receiving affection, but with you it just feels natural. So I wanted you to know that."

"Wow Eric… I don't know what to say, I just…" She paused for a second and looked deep into his eyes. "I love you too."

The leader felt a rush of passion as he heard those words coming out of her mouth. He wanted to show her how much he meant his own words and kissed her as lovingly as he could. They barely took time to breathe, their body heat rising up fast. Silently asking for permission, Eric removed June's towel to uncover her body as she did the same with his. They were now used to the sight of each other undressed, but this time felt different than in the shower. They both knew they would be demonstrating each other's love in a whole new way.

"June?" He asked, stroking her shoulder to wake her up. "Baby it's okay, I'm here, you're just having a nightmare." He shook her small sweaty figure a bit harder until she suddenly opened her eyes, panting. She had sat up automatically, and once she realized the danger was gone, she looked at Eric with relief. He brought her into a hug in an attempt to calm her down.

"I'm here, you're safe now."

She held onto him a bit tighter. "Eric, I saw David…"

The leader froze at the name. "David as in Wesley's assistant?"

June nodded, biting her lips nervously.

"Don't worry, you're awake now you don't have anything to fear."

"No I mean, I saw him. For real, leaving the Dauntless compound." Her voice was shaking.

"What ?!" Eric asked incredulously, his voice sounding harsher all of a sudden. "When?"

"It was just yesterday…"

Eric looked really confused, wondering why no one had bothered telling him someone from outside of dauntless had been granted the possibility of entering the compound. As a leader, he was supposed to know this.

"I'll talk to Max today. If David was able to enter the compound, it's either because he has connections here or because there's security breach." Eric stated professionally before noticing June's unease. "Come here… I won't let anyone hurt us again." He hugged her a second time before placing a gentle kiss over her lips.

The next morning, Eric and June went to breakfast together. None of the two talked, too lost in thought about the Wesley issue. As he picked up a green apple, Eric noticed Max entering the dining hall from the corner of his eye. He immediately stopped picking up his food and hurried towards Max, leaving a confused-looking June behind.

"Max!" He called out, attracting the leader's attention as he made his way closer to him.

"Good morning Eric." Max said casually, before noticing Eric's serious expression. "What's wrong?"

"Can I talk to you alone?"

"Sure." Max turned to the two other dauntless members he had come with. "I'll meet you in a minute."

Eric led Max outside of the dining hall, in a less crowded area.

"Have you ever heard the name of David Teller?" Eric asked, trying to push away all the horrible memories attached to that name. Max shook his head no. "Then it means we have a security breach in the compound."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be brief so basically this man was seen leaving the compound even though he is not a dauntless member and doesn't belong to the list of authorized people. In fact, I never want to hear that he's entered this compound again."

"Why? What's with him?"

"It's a long story, I can't tell you but he is dangerous."

Max understood from Eric's tone that it would be no use to ask more questions. "Alright, we'll have security reinforced."

"I'll talk to the guards and you take care of the members in the control room, okay?" Eric suggested so he didn't have to deal with Four at all. Max nodded in agreement and they both returned to breakfast.

The more Eric thought about it, the more he grew sure of his decision. June and he were meant to be. She was definitely the only person who could fully understand him and his scars. She had gone through the same physical and emotional pain as him, and he had never felt more at peace than when he was around her. They were both broken and they needed each other in order to remain sane. She was his soulmate and Eric was determined to spend the rest of his life at her sides. Tonight, he would ask her to marry him. Unlike him, she wasn't eighteen yet but he wanted June to know how committed he was to her.

He had asked her to join him on the roof where they spent her seventeenth birthday at 4:30pm. He wanted June to witness the December sunset with him before asking her. But she was late and his impatience was starting to show. How could she be late now? He had it all planned out, the timing was perfect, except not anymore. After an hour of waiting in the cold Chicago winter, he decided not to waste any more time and go back to the Dauntless compound. He didn't know what to think. June wasn't the most punctual person but she never made him wait so long. He couldn't help but feel slightly angry at her.

As soon as he entered the compound, an agitated voice called his name out. He turned around to face a dauntless guard he had seen a few times before.

"Eric Sir, there has been an accident, Max has asked that you report to the Pit immediately."

"What kind of accident?" Eric asked confused.

"They say it's a girl. I have no further information Sir."

"Alright, thank you."  
The leader moved further into the dauntless fortress, wondering what was all that about. Did someone fall into the Chasm? Eric felt even more confused as he reached the Pit, where a crowd had gathered around something Eric couldn't see. He caught Max' eyes, who was standing at the center of the crowd and tried to make his way towards him. For some reasons, Max's look sent shivers down Eric's spine. But as he ambled closer, he realized why. He recognized her beautiful lips, her gorgeous wavy hair, her delicate jawline. She would have looked as perfect as always, if her beauty hadn't been stained by dark blood and prominent bruises. The sight of horror displaying in front of him made him instantly feel sick. How could he have let her perfection be spoiled like that? How could he have let her get hurt? How could he even have let anyone touch her? He fell down to his knees right next to her. Tears were running down his face, blurring his view. He leaned over her, trying to hear a faint heartbeat still fighting for her life. But all those people were so loud… He looked up at them with fury in his eyes.

"ALL OF YOU GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" He screamed at them, making them all stop talking. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR? GO THE FUCK AWAY!" The crowd started dissolving. Eric couldn't believe what was happening. He ran his hand through her soft hair as a habit, and felt his heart skip a beat as he felt her hair tangled in her own blood.

"June please don't leave me, I love you so much and I need you." He grabbed the small velvet box he had kept in his inside pocket and took out the white gold ring he had chosen for the love of his life. "Look I have this for you." Trying in vain to stop his own hands from shaking, he took hers in order to set the ring on her finger. But he was too struck by how cold it was and stopped moving, realization making its way through his brain. "June, I am so sorry I didn't keep my promise." He softly whispered secretly hoping she would open her eyes and tell him it was all going to be okay.

He held her in his arms for a very long moment. But the longer he did, the colder she felt against his skin.

Eric was leaning against the wall of the dauntless headquarters with his arms folded. Jeanine Matthews, the leader of Erudite had just entered the room along with Max. She offered Eric her hand politely.

"Please accept my deepest condolences." He simply nodded. "I came here today because I want to reveal to you three the results of the investigation conducted about June Carter's death." Eric frowned at the word. Hearing it from other people's mouth felt so real, just like when he would go to bed alone at night, without her warmth beside him. "As you know, June Carter was found dead a week ago in the Chasm. Some spots of her face and body were bruised which obviously led us to think it was a murder. The results of the autopsy show that she has been attacked before being pushed into the river." The thought made Eric wince. "Thankfully, we have been able to determine the identity of the murderer. His name is Wesley Graham." Eric closed his eyes. He couldn't believe he had failed at protecting June against the same demon that had ruined their childhood. He had let her down again and would never forgive himself for it.

"He is the leader of a rebel group of divergents, who's been threatening our prosperity for a while." Jeanine continued, although Eric struggled to listen. "They are based outside of the city, a bit further than the amity farms. We discovered that some of their activities to prepare their rebellion consisted on experimenting the handling of pain on children since they are not tracked before they're sixteen. June was one of those children and had been kidnapped along with a boy. According to our sources, the boy escaped a few years ago but June did not. They released her for her choosing test though, as all sixteen years-old have their tracker turned on the day of their sixteenth birthday, and it would have become suspicious if June had been missing from the list. To put it in a nutshell, Wesley Graham's rebel group was threatened by June's life because despite their precaution, she knew too much." Jeanine paused for while, for everyone to process what she had said. "June is the first innocent of a long list of victims of this group of divergents. They are a threat to our society, therefore we must unite our factions against them. I propose that we cooperate and put our strengths together to fight for the prosperity of our faction system. We must chase and contain divergents."

The two leaders of dauntless thought about the offer for a moment, before Jeanine spoke again. "I will let you consider my offer together. But before, I'd like to speak to Mr Eric Adams in private please."

Max left the room, leaving Jeanine and Eric together. "Mr Adams, during our investigation, we discovered the identity of the second kidnapped child. You might be a target to this rebel group so I ask you to please be careful. The erudite faction –your old faction- will do everything in its power to help ensure your security. This is the start of a war, and the cooperation of our factions is vital to our society. Please don't let June's death be for nothing."

Eric looked deep into Jeanine's dark blue eyes and said : "Believe me, I won't."

_Hi guys, it's almost the end! I hoped you liked it, if you have any questions let me know. _

_Thank you so much for those two reviews I got on the last chapter : Libra18j, you have a good intuition it seems ;) And Guest, thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot :)_


	12. Epilogue

_Dear Eric, _

_I__'__ve been watching you from up there and it breaks my heart to see what they did to you. Firstly, I__'__m sorry my death has made you suffer so much. If it makes you feel any better, I miss you so much as well and every single day, I wish I could be with you.  
Secondly, I know you won__'__t ever read that letter, but deep down I wish you would. Because you are about to make the worst decision of your life. Cooperating with Jeanine Mathews will only lead to genocide, but you can__'__t know that because she messed with your reason. She lied to you, Eric! Wesley killed me, but he is not divergent! He is an erudite, and Jeanine initiated the program that turned us into guinea pigs. I wish I could tell you the truth, because no one around you can be trusted. They__'__re all manipulating you because you__'__re a dauntless leader and they need all dauntless members to start a war. It makes me sick to my stomach to witness that and not be able to do anything. I wish things were different. An remember, I don__'__t blame you for anything._

_I love you so much_

_\- __June_

Hi everyone, thank you so much for sticking with this story till the end. If you have any question, let me know. I'd also love to hear what you thought, it would make my day !

EDIT : sorry about the previous update, I didn't notice the wrong coding so thanks for that review !


End file.
